


Forbidden Faith

by Kael-bail (sassyruu)



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Magic, M/M, Multi, Rating subject to change, Slow Burn, Witch AU, nonbinary pidge
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-25
Updated: 2017-08-19
Packaged: 2018-11-18 19:06:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,709
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11296914
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sassyruu/pseuds/Kael-bail
Summary: Lance grew up in a very religious household, and sheltered from anything that wasn't directly in his inner circle. While walking through an unfamiliar part of town, he discovers a small café known as Altea, where he meets an eclectic group of witches who want nothing more than to be understood and welcome him into the fold.Along the way he meets Keith, a solitary witch who just wants to be left alone. After spending time with the witches, Lance finds himself in an internal struggle between what he's learning about himself and others, and what he was always taught. Caught in a moral and familial struggle, Lance has to learn to accept that you can't always make your family happy by being yourself.ON INDEFINATE HIATUS





	1. Beckoning

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone and welcome to my first Voltron fic. There are just a few points I want to address for this fic before we get it underway. 
> 
> 1) Everyone is 18+. While I don't know if there will be smut yet, if there is it will be in later chapters. Pidge is, of course, the youngest at 18.  
> 2) I will most likely not have a lot of Spanish for Lance. There are a few things I might make reference to, but please message me privately if it offensive. I do not foresee a problem, as I will not be delving too deep into Lance's heritage, but please let me know if I do.  
> 3) I myself practice witchcraft, and everything written here about the practice is from my own knowledge and research. 
> 
> I think that's it for now, so please read on.

If there was one thing Lance McClain loved to do now that he was allowed, it was exploring the city. Living in a close knit family, he had never wandered far from the places his family regularly visited. He had the opportunity after he turned 18, if he took the bus, but that would have required him to know where he was going. Now 19 and with a car, he was free to roam through town. Many times he would park his car in a parking garage and just walk anywhere he could. It was _refreshing_ to get out and explore away from his family.

The McClain's were a very close group of people. His immediate family, and his uncles and aunts and cousins, all lived within a five mile radius of each other. They got together at least once a week; his grandmother would too, if they didn't already live in the same household. His mother's side of the family was from Cuba, his grandparents having come to America before his mother had been born. She and her brothers and sisters(five of them in total) had all married and had children of their own, but had stayed relatively close to each other. Lance's mother, Josephine, married Henry McClain, and together they had five children. When his grandfather died, Josephine thought it unsafe to have her aging mother live alone. Lance grew up with his grandmother in the home, and had learned how to speak Spanish from her; he wasn’t flawlessly fluent, but he could hold a basic conversation.

In any case, Lance had been to this part of downtown before, but knew there was a whole area he had never been to. So far, it seemed to have a lot of herbal places and strange shops; rather, they were strange to him. Many had décor from what looked like eastern religions, and smelled kind of funny, so he didn't stay long. He had been wandering for a couple hours before he decided he should probably find some place to get some food and a drink; it was getting way too hot. Unfortunately, it didn’t look like there was anything nearby.

Just as he was heading back the way he came, the delicate ring of bells and wind chimes caught his attention. Across the street stood a building that reminded him of old Victorian houses, painted a light violet and trimmed with black and white. A large sign decorated with a blend of colors introduced the place. Lance cocked his head as he read it, brow quirked. "…All-tee?" He attempted quietly. "All-tay?" Whatever, he was sure he'd figure it out. Wind chimes, sun catchers, and all sorts of eclectic décor hung from the eaves, beckoning Lance to come closer. He answered the call, carefully crossing the street to come and investigate. Bells sang in greeting as he opened the door, his sense of smell assaulted with the delicious cacophony of pastries.

It was a lot more open inside than he would have thought. The walls were lined with shelves of books, and even a few new age-y things he had seen in the other shops in the area. There was a counter covered in jars full of herbs and teas, and a few recliners in the area. As he traveled further in, he found it to be much like any other café; tables and chairs, a pastry display case full of treats, the usual. A couple glanced over at Lance when he came in, whispering to themselves. He ignored them as he walked up to the case, finding some of the names of the treats to be quite amusing. Most he could tell what they were, but a few had such an aesthetic theme to them he couldn’t identify them.

"If you have any questions, please let me know."

The voice startled Lance, making him look up before his cheeks flushed a bit. She was very tall, and spoke with a British accent. He was a little baffled by her appearance; her skin tone was a tad darker than his own, while her hair was nearly white, hanging over her shoulders and down her back. Her eyes, though, were what drew him to her. They were such a beautiful shade of blue, but he could swear there was a tint of purple around the pupil. To say he was mesmerized would be and understatement. He quickly turned on the charm, smiling and putting on a confidant air. "Why hello there," he practically purred. "Name's Lance. Can't say I've seen you around before."

The woman raised a brow at him, cocking her head. Her crystal earrings glinted in the sunlight. "Well, I would think not, seeing that you’ve never been here before." There was a loud snort from one of the guys at the nearby table. She smiled as Lance got flustered. "Welcome to Altea, Lance. I am Allura, the proprietor of this little café."

"So it is a café," Lance mused, looking around. "I knew my nose wouldn't steer me wrong. And it just so turns out, neither did my heart, when it lead me to you." The unimpressed look on Allura's face cued him to reel it in. He cleared his throat loudly. "So, if this is a café, what's with the….books and herbs and stuff?"

She hummed, going behind the counter. "We're a metaphysical café."

"…..metaphysical?"

"A metaphysical café is a place where people who believe in spirits or the supernatural can come and not be judged," replied one of the men at the nearby table. He was barely taller than Lance, a large scar across the bridge of his nose. His hair was short and black, save for a white tuft that hung over his eyes. What really caught Lance's attention, however, was that he was missing an arm just above the elbow. He offered Lance a kind smile. "Ah, sorry for eavesdropping. Name's Takashi Shirogane, but please call me Shiro. Everyone does." He held his hand to Lance.

He looked at Shiro's hand for a moment, before smiling and shaking it. "Lance. So you guys, like….believe in this stuff?" He gestured to the crystals on the wall and all the stuff at the entrance.

Shiro raised his brow a bit, but chuckled. "I guess you could say that. But everyone who comes in here has a different belief system. Just like, I'm sure, you have a different belief system than we do."

"I'm going to make a guess," a brunet called from the table Shiro had been sitting at. "Catholic?"

Lance blinked at him a little. How could someone peg that without him having said anything? "Uh…well, yeah, I guess. Raised Catholic, anyway."

The brunet nodded. "My family is Christian, but my sibling and I kind of branched out. We still hold some of the beliefs we were raised with, but we do our own thing now."

Lance gave a nervous laugh, holding his hands up in surrender. "Wait a sec, hold on. You got it wrong, I'm not looking to branch out. I was just in the area and was looking for somewhere to grab a drink and something to eat."

"Something drew you here," Allura hummed, leaning on the counter. There was a twinkle in her eye as she watched him. "If you were looking for food and drink, you had no reason to try to come here; we don't look like your average coffee shop. I can feel it, Lance; there's something special about you. You were meant to come here."

Lance glanced at Allura, more than a little weirded out. For a hot chick, she was a little crazy. Oh well, he supposed that came with the package sometimes. "Uh-huh…" he murmured in reply. "Right, if you say so."

She frowned a little at him. "Well, do you have any other explanation?" She asked, watching with mild interest to see what he would come up with. Allura knew why Lance had been drawn here, it was only a matter of time.

"The wind chimes got my attention, and the place looked interesting," he replied defensively, lips pursed and brows narrowed. "Its not like there's any other buildings like this one nearby!"

"True," she relented, folding her hands together as she stood upright. "Very, very true. But there is another reason, one you would have no knowledge of." She paused, watching Lance's expression shift from defensive, to confused, before settling on curious. "There is a charm upon this place, a charm to bring the special ones together."

"Special ones?" He repeated, raising a brow.

"Yes, those with the strength and ability to produce magic."

It was Lance's turn to snort loudly. Magic wasn’t real, he had grown up being taught that. He loved Harry Potter as much as the next guy, but this was ridiculous. "Okay, suppose I humor you that magic does exist. How do you know there's a 'charm' or whatever?"

"Because," Allura began. "I'm a witch, and I was the one who cast the charm."

Lance went silent, eyes widening to the size of saucers as he stared at Allura. His breath caught in his throat, waiting for her to say she was joking; he looked to Shiro, who was quietly watching the exchange. He whipped his head back to Allura, looking horrified. "Wait… _you're a witch_?!"


	2. Discovery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance learns something new about his best friend, and has a run in with a not-so-kind witch

"A witch?! But what is a nice girl like you doing worshipping Satan?!" Lance was flabbergasted, his voice cracking a bit, as he stared at Allura with abject horror. There was a long silence in the café, before the brunet at the nearby table snorted loudly, falling into a fit of giggles. Shiro was trying to hide his amusement behind a hand, his shoulders shaking with suppressed laughter. Allura laughed openly, arms wrapping around her stomach. Lance's expression shifted from horrified, to confused. He looked between the three, not really sure why they were laughing. "What?! What's so funny?!"

"Nothing, nothing," Shiro assured, managing to get himself under control. There was a bemused twinkle in his eye as he hushed the man across from him, who was slamming his hand on the table as he guffawed. "It's just…that’s so stereotypical, and not necessarily the truth. I mean, there are some who may, but not all witches believe in the devil, let alone worship him."

Lance stared, feeling the tips of his ears start to burn in slight embarrassment. "But…the Bible says---"

"The Bible says a lot of things." The brunet had finally stopped laughing. He was looking at Lance carefully from behind large glasses. "It says we can't wear certain cloth, that we can't eat shellfish…" he stood up. "I had this exact conversation with my parents. I won't say anyone is necessarily right or wrong, that's for you to believe. But if a Christian like myself can be a witch, it can't be _that_ bad."

Shiro gave a small sigh of relief, having been ready to intervene if things went bad. On the contrary, Lance just looked more confused, questioning himself. He had been told growing up that witches were the devil's daughters, or worshippers. His mouth was dry as he tried to ask the question on his mind. "So then, if you don't worship Satan…who do you worship?"

"There are deities from all over the world we can choose from," Allura replied gently. "Some of us don’t worship any in particular. It all depends on the witch themselves. Matt, for example, calls upon the saints he was raised with when he casts his spells sometimes."

"Who?"

The brunet raised his hand. "Matt Holt, mainly a Space witch, but I dabble in Sun too. Raised Christian, still believe in a few things from when I was growing up. Oh, and I'm Shiro's boyfriend."

"Matt!"

"I saw him eyeing you, I'm just protecting what's mine."

Allura cleared her throat, quieting the two. "It’s a lot to take in," she murmured, giving Lance a sympathetic smile when she noticed him mouthing 'what the fuck is a space witch?' She chuckled a little. "Why don't you order something, and I'm sure Matt and Shiro would be more than happy to answer your questions."

Shiro smiled and nodded. "Of course, we're more than open to educating those with an open mind."

 

* * *

  
"Oh, Altea? I've been there before, it's pretty cool, right?"

Lance let out a loud squawk of disbelief. He had gotten his best friend to meet up with him a couple days after the Altea debacle. He had excitedly rambled about the place, and the people he met, only to be met with such casual nonchalance. "Hunk! You were supposed to be like 'wow, Lance, you met a real witch! That’s awesome!' Not just shrug it off!"

The larger of the two laughed a bit, rubbing the back of his neck with a bit of nervousness. "Sorry man, must have missed that memo. Seriously, though, that's cool. I'm glad you learned something new." Yet, Hunk was having a hard time meeting Lance's eyes.

Lance watched his best friend for a long moment, lips pursed as he scrutinized the look on Hunk's face. He knew his friend well, too well, and knew just by looking at him that he was hiding something. Hunk had always been really bad at keeping secrets; he was such an honest and caring person, he had a hard time keeping his mouth shut when things were brought up in casual conversation. "Huuuuuuunk…." Lance half-sang, tugging on his arm. "What are you hiding? You know I can read you like a book."

He groaned, fiddling with a stone on a chain around his neck. On one hand, he knew it was probably safe to admit the truth to Lance now. But on the other, he knew Lance was going to throw a fit that he had kept this from him for so long. He took a deep breath, before exhaling slowly. "Look, buddy, the reason I knew about Altea before you is because of my partner, Pidge. They took me there because…well…I've been practicing witchcraft for a few years now…" Hunk braced himself for an onslaught of whining from his best friend.

Lance's eyes widened, his jaw dropping open as he stared at Hunk. "For a few years…? Dude, why didn't you tell me???"

"Because of your family," he replied, looking a little cautious. "I didn't want to risk our friendship over it, so I kept it hidden so you wouldn't feel weird about it. Because I respect your beliefs."

He blinked slowly, his heart sinking a little. Hunk hadn't trusted him? Hunk had been afraid of his reaction? He supposed it was a legitimate fear, considering the fiasco at Altea, but that didn't keep it from stinging a little. "Oh…I see…" He paused, trying to come up with something to say to show he was interested. "So, I was told there are different types of witches…what type are you, buddy?"

Hunk was a little taken aback by the question, but his face lit up nonetheless. The fact that Lance was willing to talk to him about it made him really happy. "I deal with two forms of magic, crystal and kitchen." Before Lance could ask, he explained. "A crystal witch uses crystals for their craft, like for spells, or even just for guidance and direction." He pulled the chain on his neck over his head, showing it to Lance. The blue lace agate twinkled in the sunlight. "Each crystal has different properties and meanings."

Lance marveled at the stone, his mouth making a small o shape. "That’s pretty cool," he admitted. "What about kitchen?"

"Kitchen witches often do a lot of their practice in their cooking or using fresh herbs to enhance their potions and spells. So I guess you could say when I cook, I'm _working my magic_." He grinned as Lance laughed at the joke. "But really, its all about your intent. Most of the time when I'm cooking, it has nothing to do with my practice."

"Huh," Lance hummed, staring off into the distance. "That’s….actually really interesting. Kinda neat." He went quiet for a moment, before a realization hit him. "Wait a sec, is that why you never invited me to your apartment?!"

Hunk gave a nervous sort of titter. "Well….kinda….mostly because of Pidge though, if I'm honest….their practice is _everywhere_ in the apartment…

"Pidge is a witch too?!"

"Ah, well….yeah."

Lance flailed his arms a bit, sputtering and making nonsensical sounds of disbelief. "This is explaining so much! Okay, that's it, we're going to your place. I haven't seen it, and I haven't met Pidge, and we need to fix this. Because I'm your best friend and I say so, got it?"

Hunk blinked slowly, before he laughed, putting his arm around the lanky beanpole that was his best friend. "Alright, alright, cmon let's go."

It honestly didn't take them too long to actually arrive at Hunk's place, and it was a relief to Lance that Hunk was on the bottom floor. He may have been a fit guy, but he hated climbing stairs. Once Hunk let them both in, Lance let out a small "woah" at the sight. Some of the things he had expected, like Hunk's bookshelf of cook books, the couch and tv, normal stuff. What he hadn't expected was to feel like he had walked into a small forest. There were plants everywhere he looked; tendrils of ivy hung from a hanging pot in the corner, trailing over a few of the surfaces. Mini herb gardens peppered several surfaces in planter boxes and terra-cotta pots. Lance let out a low whistle, admittedly impressed. "Holy crap, dude….you got a lot of plants."

"They're not mine," he replied, shutting the door behind them. "I mean, I do use the herbs sometimes, but all of these are Pidge's…."

"Huh…are they an outdoorsy person?" He asked.

"Not exactly." Hunk chuckled at the thought. "They hate nature, actually. But part of their practice is as a Green witch, working with plants and stuff. They'll deny it though; they prefer to be known as a techno witch."

Lance paused, trying to resist the urge to laugh. "Techno witch? You mean like the music?"

"It means I use technology in my work." Standing in the hallway was what looked like a shorter version of Matt without his glasses. Their hair was disheveled, and by the looks of it, their hands had some potting soil on them still. They pursed their lips a bit, watching Lance skeptically.

He blinked a few times. "Hunk, you didn't tell me you were dating a gremlin."

They twitched a little. "You must be Lance," they mumbled. "Hunk warned me about your terrible sense of humor."

Lance looked offended, putting a hand on his chest dramatically. "How dare you???" He turned to Hunk. "As for you, you said I have a lousy sense of humor???"

Hunk laughed awkwardly. "Well, not exactly. I said it's an acquired taste, which is entirely true and you know it."

"Hunk, buddy, you can be just as bad as I am."

"Its true," the gremlin sighed. "He's horrible as well." This time, they smiled at Lance. "I'm Pidge, they/them pronouns please. Hunk has told me a lot about you."

Lance grinned widely. "Nice to finally have a face to the name," he replied jovially. "Though, speaking of faces, I have a kind of weird question. Do you know Matt Holt?"

"Of course, he's my older brother."

"I knew it!" He pointed at Pidge. "I met your brother the other day, you two totally look like you could be twins!"

"Yeah," they mumbled. "We get that a lot once someone meets both of us." They didn't seem bothered by the question though, which he was relieved to see. He didn’t want to get on the bad side of someone like Pidge; witch or not, short people were a force to be reckoned with, he knew that from his experience growing up with his older sister. "Anyway," Pidge began, brushing dirt off their hands. "The fact that you're here means you know about us, or are practicing as well. Either way, good to have you."

"Glad to finally get the chance. I've been trying to get him to let me come over for the last two years. " He elbowed his best friend with a grin, making Hunk flinch a little and laugh. "Still, I wasn't expecting all…" He gestured to the array of plants that adorned the living room. "…this."

"You get used to it," Hunk told him, weaving his way to the kitchen to make some tea. "It's actually kinda nice; we have fresh air in our own place without opening the windows."

"It gets annoying at times," Pidge added, "when my allergies rear their ugly head. My circumstances are suffering."

"You're really good at it though," Hunk told them, setting the kettle on the stove. "You've got one hell of a green thumb, Pidge. I can't even keep a cactus alive."

They gave finger guns and made their way back to their room. "No tea for me please," they called. "I'm working with a new motherboard and I don't want to mess it up."

"Kaaaay." Hunk looked at Lance as he went to get a mug. "Did you want some, bro?"

"I'm usually not much of a tea drinker," Lance mused. "But Sure, why not?" He was pleased to see Hunk smile softly. This must have been really important to him. "What kind of tea is it?"

"It's my own recipe," his friend explained, pouring loose leaf tea into little tea bags. "It's white tea, with rose, oranges, apples, strawberries, and just a hint of mint. High in antioxidants and Good for your skin." He knew that last comment would catch Lance's attention. "My parents got me a dehydrator, so my first real thing with it was making this tea. I'm glad it worked out though."

Lance grinned, taking a seat as he watched. "That's rad! I mean, I don't fully understand, but that's cool!" He watched Hunk get Everything ready, his eyes catching some sort of symbol on the tea container. "What's that?"

"What's what?" Hunk blinked, before looking where Lance was pointing. "Oh, this? It's a sigil. It's a magical symbol with a specific purpose. This one means 'I am calm and content'. It infuses my tea with positive energy to calm me." He laughed a little. "At least, that's the intent. And it helps me. That's what's important."

He supposed that was what was most important. This whole thing was confusing, but he had to admit, it was interesting. He couldn't wait to learn more.

* * *

  
The next day, Lance decided to head by the café again. He was a bit excited, if he was honest. He had made new friends, and he was getting more eager to learn things. He had always been a curious person, so this whole ordeal had really peaked his curiosity. He was glad to see Matt and Shiro there, bounding over to them unceremoniously. "Hey! So, guess what? I just found out yesterday that my best friend is a witch too!"

Shiro smiled warmly at Lance, setting down his mug of tea. "Hello to you too, Lance," he chuckled, amused by the Cuban's excitement. "Is that right? I'm assuming everything went well?"

"Well, yeah, he's been my best friend for years," Lance mumbled. "But like, I had no idea! It was really exciting; I was finally able to go to his apartment. I mean, I felt kinda bad that he was so worried about telling me, but I can't really blame him, ya know? But I'm so happy that he finally told me!"

The older man laughed a little. "Well I'm glad it went well."

He was practically vibrating. "Where's Allura??? I want to tell her!"

"She's not here today," Matt replied, taking a sip of his latte. "Coran's here, though, if you give him a holler. He's in the back."

Coran…Lance had only met the man briefly just before he left last time, and hadn't been sure what to make of him. He seemed to be rather eccentric, but Lance had to admit he had a rad mustache. He pushed off the table, heading over by the counter. "Coraaaaaan!" He called. "Lancey-Lance is here and wants some treats!"

"I'm coming!" Came the reply from the back. It didn’t take long for the man to come out, brushing what looked like flour off his hands and out of his mustache. "Good to see you again, lad! You look happier than a milk maker in a fresh field!" At least he had said something Lance could somewhat understand. "What can I get for you?"

"Can I get a sweet cinnamon latte, and a couple of those mini Almond bundt cakes?" He asked, pointing at everything as he grabbed his wallet from his pocket.

"Got it," Coran replied, ringing him up. "One Sugar Spice and Everything Nice, and a couple Mini Almonds." He gave Lance his total, going to get the latte started while Lance paid.

Lance didn't always understand why Coran named things the way he did, but whatever helped him remember was fine. He went to join Matt and Shiro at their table. "So, you guys done anything interesting?"

"Not particularly," Matt replied. "Let's talk about you though. You said you were going to do some research?"

"Oh, right…" Lance rubbed the back of his neck. "I uh….haven't really had a chance. Or, I mean, it's more like I've been scared to?" He gave Coran a small mumble of thanks as the older man brought his purchases to the table. "I don't get a lot of time to myself, and if anyone in my family caught me researching that kind of thing would cause a lot of problems…"

Shiro nodded a bit, leaning back in his seat as he held his tea. "I suppose that makes sense, being in a religious home. Not all of them are very accepting of these kinds of things." He smiled softly. "But that's alright. There's no reason to rush into things. Take your time researching, you're always welcome here to look at things and talk to people. Everyone is very kind--"

"--Well, _almost_ everyone," Matt interrupted, glancing to the door as a soft chime came through the café. Both Shiro and Lance turned.

Now this...was more what he was expecting when someone said they were a witch. The individual that came in was dressed in hues of black and red, hair tied back in a low ponytail at the nape of their neck. He could see a few crystals and pentacles hanging from the strangers neck, and ears. They wore what could only be considered a traditional witches hat, with a wide brim that almost hung over their face. Lance blinked, watching as they went to a quiet corner of the café, away from people. For some reason, Lance was instantly drawn to the stranger. Before Shiro or Matt could stop him, he got up with his treats and went over to where the stranger was sitting. He grinned widely. "Hey!" At first the witch didn't respond; maybe they hadn't noticed him. "I haven't met you yet! I'm--"

"I don't care," the stranger replied, voice sounding annoyed. Lance quickly deduced it was a guy, and instantly felt a little embarrassed that he had started to turn on the charm. "If I had wanted to talk I wouldn't have come over here." He opened the book his had in his hands, settling it into his lap. Lance managed to take a peek, and see everything was hand written. When Lance didn't walk away, he glanced up. "…Did you not hear me?"

"Ah, no, I heard you," Lance stammered. "I just, ya know, wanted to talk--"

"Well, I don't," he snapped. "I don't take kindly to being badgered by strangers, especially not those that aren't _one of us_. You’d do well to back off." He stood up then, slamming his book shut. " _Before I ruin your life._ "

Lance swallowed thickly. What had he gotten himself into?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long! I got a new job and have been dealing with house construction... So this is a bit later than intended. But it's done now!

**Author's Note:**

> This wasn't as long as I would have liked, but there's a lot more to cover in upcoming chapters. This was just an introduction. Keith will make his debut in chapter 2!
> 
> If you enjoyed, please let me know with a comment below! Kudos are appreciated as well, but comments tell me I'm doing something right. Tootles!


End file.
